The night pressed heavily against the windows.
Helios lay on his back, staring at the pale ceiling, the silver glow of the moon cutting across the room. Sleep refused him. Pain was a cruel companion, each throb of his wound dragging him further into wakefulness. His stomach burned with every breath, his body trembling beneath the weight of its own repair.
And then, movement.
He turned his head toward the window. Beyond the walls, beyond the treeline—something shifted.
A Dusk.
Its thin, rubbery body stretched unnaturally as it crawled along the edge of the forest. The zipper-mouth twitched faintly, a grotesque imitation of a smile.
Helios smirked back, though his lips cracked with the effort. "On a list of dumbest things I've done…" He coughed, his body lurching with pain. "…this is right up there."
With slow precision, he lifted his hand. Darkness pooled at his fingertips, jagged lines tearing open reality in front of him. A corridor of shadows unfolded, its cold breath spilling across the room.
Step by step, he dragged himself through.
On the other side, the Dusk waited. Its bulbous head tilted at an angle, arms swaying loosely. It did not attack, did not flee. It simply turned and began to move, boneless strides carrying it into the forest.
Helios followed. His pace was a crawl compared to what he was capable of—each step sent fresh fire across his stomach, each breath shallow and ragged. He kept his hand pressed against his side, his boots crunching quietly on the dirt path. The Dusk never moved too fast, always just a little ahead, as though it knew exactly how much pain he was in.
Minutes passed. Ten. Twenty. Half an hour. The mansion's silhouette dwindled behind him until only the trees surrounded him, black fingers stretching into the night sky.
He stopped once, leaning against a tree, chest heaving. His vision blurred, but the Dusk waited patiently a few paces ahead, its zipper-mouth twitching.
Helios forced a breath through his teeth and pushed on.
The forest thinned, opening to a small clearing.
"Doing okay there?"
The voice was smooth, sarcastic, and cut through the silence like a knife.
Helios straightened slowly, his smirk faint but sharp. "Do I look okay?"
A spark of fire lit in the darkness. Axel stepped into the clearing, red hair gleaming even in the pale light, green eyes sharp beneath his widow's peak. His black coat moved with casual grace, the purple tear-shaped markings beneath his eyes catching the glow of fire he summoned at his fingertips.
"Fair point," Axel said. He shrugged, rolled a shoulder, then snapped his fingers.
The clearing rippled.
Assassins emerged from the shadows, their segmented arms flexing, blades glinting silver and purple. A few compacted themselves into floating disks, circling Helios with predatory calm. The Dusk slithered to one side, contorting its body until its head spun upside down, zipper-mouth opening wide.
Helios exhaled slowly. He didn't raise a hand. Didn't even bother feigning readiness. He dragged himself toward a nearby boulder, every motion deliberate, every step wracked with agony. When he reached it, he lowered himself down, wincing as his wound protested.
The Nobodies shifted with him, keeping perfect formation, their movements eerily silent.
"Not much for subtlety," Helios muttered.
Axel spread his hands, grinning faintly. "Subtlety's overrated." He gestured lazily toward the Nobodies. "Besides, you're in no shape to play games."
Helios leaned back against the rock, smirk never leaving his face. "So what can I do for my… friend?"
Axel crouched a few feet away, elbows on his knees, eyes glinting with amusement. "Friend, huh? That's pretty generous considering the last time we met, I tried to kill you. Most people in your position would be sweating bullets."
"I'm bleeding buckets," Helios corrected, voice dry. "Different sort of problem."
Axel chuckled, the sound low and mocking. "Touché." He tilted his head, firelight dancing in his green eyes. "See, that's the tricky part. I figure I should be polite this time. Say I hope your wounds heal, that you'll be back on your feet in no time." He leaned forward, smile sharp. "But let's be honest—my heart wouldn't be in it."
The Assassins twitched at his words, their blade-arms scraping faintly against the ground like knives eager for blood. The Dusk spiraled lazily nearby, twisting its torso with grotesque grace.
Helios tilted his head back, let out a rasp of laughter. "At least you're honest."
Axel's smile flattened slightly. "Don't get used to it."
A silence stretched, heavy, broken only by the faint hum of the Nobodies' movements. Axel studied him like one might study an insect pinned to a board.
"You've got guts," Axel said finally. "Showing up out here half-dead, no weapon in your hand, letting me surround you. I can't decide if that makes you brave… or stupid."
"Why not both? I think I'm both." Helios' voice cracked with the effort, but the smirk stayed. "You knew I'd come, and I hoped you wouldn't kill me. That's why I followed the Dusk that showed itself."
Axel's grin returned, faint but edged. "Smart. Maybe not too stupid after all." He flicked his wrist, a tiny flame sparking to life at his fingertip. He rolled it between his fingers like a coin. "But let's be real—you're not walking away if I don't let you. You know that, right?"
Helios shifted slightly on the rock, wincing as his wound flared. "I walked thirty minutes into a forest bleeding out a little just to sit here. You think I don't know that?"
Axel chuckled again, shaking his head. "Fair." His eyes sharpened suddenly, his tone lowering. "So… why should I let you? Give me a reason. Humor me."
The Nobodies leaned closer, circling tighter. The clearing seemed to shrink around them.
Helios exhaled through his nose, lips curving faintly. "Because you're curious about something, and apparently, I have the answer. And because if you wanted me dead…" His gaze flicked toward the Assassins, then back to Axel. "…you wouldn't be talking to me."
Axel's eyes narrowed. For the first time, the grin slipped.
Then he laughed. A sharp, ringing sound that echoed through the trees.
"Seems like you at least memorized how I am," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm, his catchphrase cutting through the night.
Helios' smirk didn't falter. "I could never forget that. You were my first friend in Radiant Garden."
The fire in Axel's hand flared, casting both their faces in flickering light. The Nobodies shifted again, blades scraping, zipper-mouths twitching.
The clearing hung suspended on the knife's edge of violence.